Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over it is time to start the Christmas baking. I totally enjoy this part of the holidays. Decorating..somewhat fun..shopping...not fun…being in the kitchen making wonderful treats…the most fun! Don't snicker. I know I'm a little crazy when it comes to holiday baking. My mother-in-law use to laugh at the fact that I would make a cookie a night for the 2 weeks before Christmas. So today my project was marshmallows….chocolate, mint or just plain! I decided on mint. You see, years ago when I first made these delectable treats, I was browsing through a Williams-Sonoma's Catalog and saw that they were selling homemade marshmallows. They touted the fact that these were like little puffs of heaven, and no store bought marshmallow will ever compare. The price was way more than I would pay for marshmallows. Ok, so now they sucked me in! I'm always up for a challenge. I thought if someone is making marshmallows to sell at Williams-Sonoma, then why can't I make them. That's when I took out my trusty Martha Stewart Holiday Cookbook. If anyone knows how to make marshmallows it would be Martha! I was right. Since then they have been a tradition in our house. My grandkids love them. They are so yummy topping a cup of hot chocolate or just eating. I really love the mint. They compliment the hot chocolate nicely. I have to say that no store bought bag of marshmallows will ever compare….Williams-Sonoma was right!!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Well, hopefully everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I had a house full of company. Children, grandchildren, brothers, in-laws, nieces and nephews. We had a ton of food and I did not take one picture of my food prep. I just couldn't spare the time. Things were pretty crazy around here. I made all the usual sides…Sweet Potato Casserole, home made Cranberry Sauce, and a wonderful Broccoli Casserole. My sister-in-law brought the Apple and Pumpkin Pies. Delicious! I made a family favorite, Kahlua Cheesecake, and also a Dark Date Nut Bread that we enjoyed for breakfast with cream cheese. Two days of eating the leftovers and today a great big pot of turkey soup. This is a bonus gift of the Thanksgiving turkey. After everyone has feasted on the bird…it is time to take the carcass and make a lovely pot of soup. I put the carcass in a large pot of water with lots of carrots, onions, parsnips, parsley and celery. I also had a head of garlic that was roasted in the cavity of the turkey that I added to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste and simmer for several hours. If you're lucky to have some leftover gravy, you can also throw that into the pot. Let it all cool down and refrigerate, (mine sat on my back porch overnight) pour into another pot through a mesh strainer. Then I add about 1/2 cup of barley to the soup, along with sliced carrots, celery and peas. Serve over fine soup noodles. It's a great way to use up every part of the Thanksgiving turkey and happens to be so satisfying on the cold days of November.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Ok. Call me a coward, but I just could not put gorgonzola cheese in my pumpkin flans. When I first saw this recipe, it kind of turned me off. I guess I just can't think of pumpkin flan being savory. I decided to change this recipe a bit. I added a little brown sugar and nutmeg to the pumpkin mixture. I still put the walnuts on top with a sprinkle of nutmeg. I did not make these sweet…only 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. I also used fresh pumpkin that I had cooked down. I think that may be the reason for them not having a very strong pumpkin flavor. My flans looked great but tasted..eeh! My husband ate one but, did not ask for seconds. Me, I thought they were ok. They tasted a bit eggy and didn't have the flavor I expected. I will probably eat the rest for breakfast. I wish now that I had been true to the recipe. But honestly…..I would not like them here or there, I would not like them anywhere, not in a house, not with a mouse…...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Today I was in the kitchen making "Fatayer Sabanegh"….Spinach
pies. As I've mentioned before, I am of Lebanese descent. Spinach pies are one
of the recipes my grandmother passed down to her daughters. My mother was the
best at making anything with yeast in it. As the holidays approach I become a
little nostalgic, thinking of Christmases past. I have a blessed life, and
certainly am not melancholy. Even so, my thoughts keep going to my mom, who
passed away 2 1/2 years ago. There are days I miss her terribly!

Today is one of those days because; I was making her favorite recipe. My
mom died at 89 years old. The last few years she struggled with dementia. She
lived with me and it was a very hard time for both of us. She was an
excellent baker. When she would make her spinach pies I would stand-by and
watch, but never really helped. This was her thing! Yeast baking was her
specialty. Even though I was quite proficient in the kitchen, I never attempted
making my mom's spinach pies.

That changed when she was 87, she could no
longer remember many of her recipes. She would say to me, "I want to make
spinach pies but, I get mixed up and can't remember anymore". “ No worries mom", I would say, “We could do them
together”! That's when I started baking Spinach pies with my mom. I then gave her the written recipe
(which she never needed before). The first time we did this, she followed the
recipe, and my directions. Then we rolled the dough and filled it with the
spinach mixture. The next time we planned on making them, she needed help
making the dough. That’s when I really started to make her spinach pies. That
time I made the dough with her direction. Because of the time we
spent together, yeast dough is now one of my specialties. I am forever grateful
we had this time together, while she was still able to participate. And so glad
she was able to pass on her knowledge of baking to me. All her little secrets
that still help me to this day!

dough ingredients

kneading till smooth

place in oiled bowl to rise

5 pkg. frozen spinach, squeezed dry

Add all ingredients then add oil and mix, let stand to meld flavors.

risen dough

add toasted pine nuts (or toasted chopped walnuts)

dough ready to be filled

Make triangular shape

Ready for the oven

YUM!! Enjoy!!

Fatayer Sabanegh

Pie Dough

8 cups of flour
1 pkg. yeast
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon salt
about 3 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon Mahleb (This is a mediterranean spice that can be purchased at Penzeys on-line. It is made from the cherry pit.)
_________________________________

Mix yeast in one cup of lukewarm water and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand.
Mix all dry ingredients make well in center, add water and oil. Mix well.
Knead until you form a smooth dough. I usually add only 7 cups of flour at the
beginning and then add the rest as I am kneading the dough. Put into an oiled
bowl, cover loosely and let rise in a warm place. After this has risen, punch
down and break off small pieces and make small balls and let rest. I usually
roll them with a rolling pin but you can flatten with your hand.

Mix all ingredients and let the flavors meld while you wait for the dough to rise.
Place spinach mixture on rolled dough and and close into triangular shape.
Brush oil onto baking sheet and arrange pies in rows. Bake at 350 degrees for
about 20 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned. Then place under broiler
until pies are lightly browned. Serve hot or cold. Makes about 3 dozen

Thursday, November 11, 2010

So here we are again…It's French Fridays with Dorie! I have to admit I am having a lot of fun with this! Making recipes that I might have flagged to make but, never actually getting around to doing. I chose to make the Semolina cake this week. I am of Lebanese decent and grew up with many baked goods made with semolina. I really love the grainy texture. I have been intrigued with this recipe since it was selected as one of the November picks. So today, after I got home from my volunteer job at the hospital, I went right to work on this cake. Truthfully it was not difficult to make but, needed complete attention while putting it together. So much so, that I was not able to take process photos. First you are bringing the milk to just a boil. You have to continually stir so it will not scorch! Then you add the cream of wheat, slowly and stirring constantly. Let that cool. While it's cooling, you have to start the Caramel, which can scorch very quickly, so you want to watch it carefully. Heating the pan in the oven was a good tip. It made the caramel easy to manipulate when poured into the pan. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla to the cream of wheat and scrape into the baking pan over the caramel. After you take this out of the oven, place cake plate over pan and invert. I slid a knife around the edge of pan before I did this. I really loved this recipe but, would not have classified it as a cake. It is more like a flan or pudding. I had my chief taster give me his review! We will definitely be making this again.

The finished cake

My piece

This Recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's new book 'Around My French Table'.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Let's get one thing straight….I absolutely love and enjoy the holidays! That said, I do have moments that make people around me think otherwise. My husband thinks that once the holidays begin, I turn into the kitchen nazi! I'll admit I could be a bit of a shrew when it comes to controlling my kitchen. I have so many things going on and I feel like I'm always racing the clock. Very often, I'm baking late into the night. So, with Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, the baking marathon begins. Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, I so enjoy entertaining. It's my opportunity to get into the kitchen and experiment with new desserts and cookies. I try to add at least one new cookie every year. I also try to have something ready for drop in company or something special for a quick breakfast treat. A staple in my house during the holidays is my Aunt Emma's Dark Date Nut Bread. This bread has been made during the holidays since I was a small child. When I was a new bride my aunt gave me her recipe. I tried it several times but, it never turned out as moist and luscious as hers. So, very early on, I tweaked it. Even though I changed the recipe, I still consider it to be my aunts Dark Date Nut Bread. This bread looks, smells and tastes the way hers did. We love to have it for breakfast with cream cheese spread over the top. I love it right out of the fridge. Sooo yummy!! It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least a week to 10 days. Hope you'll give it a try.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Well, it's time to post my second recipe for FFWD. This month we got to choose our recipe order. I chose to do 'roast chicken for les paresseux'. As Dorie explains,"for the lazy". That happens to work very well for me today. I was out most of the day with my girlfriend. We went out this morning for pedicures and then for lunch and a little shopping. The day here in NJ was miserable. Cold (44 degrees), and heavy rains all day. Too cold to be walking around in flip flops…but hey, we just had pedicures done! We happened into a great little store owned by a very artistic lady. She gave us some great advice on where to get some fresh goat chevre. Her shop was filled with a mixture of vintage pieces of jewelry and some very artistic new pieces made by local artists. Then we had lunch at this very quaint and lovely place in town, where we enjoyed quiche and salad. By the time I got home I was chilled to the bone. So this chicken dish sounded soooo good. It filled my home with the aroma and warmth of wonderful herbs. I loved this way of roasting a chicken. It was so moist and the bread sitting at the bottom of the chicken, soaking up all the wonderful juices, was delicious. I added more potatoes and carrots than called for. I like extra veggies. Oh, and the garlic that was roasted with the chicken, all I can say is yum! So far I have made 3 recipes from this book and have not been disappointed yet. This is going to be a great year!

This recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's new book "Around my French Table".

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Well, it looks like the cold weather has finally hit the northeast. I woke up this morning to a very cold 24 degrees. All I wanted to do was get warm…start my pellet stove...make a cup of hot tea…and wrap myself up in my blanket! Ok, I know, I'm a woose. I'm just not a person who likes the cold. I'm very comfortable on 95 degree, hot humid, days. Yes, I even like the humidity! So I thought I'd plan a dinner that would warm us up. A nice big pot of soup would be nice. As I looked through my pantry to see what I had, I found a large can of clams. Perfect! A pot of Manhattan Clam Chowder. Yum! Lucky for me I had every thing else I needed to start my soup. Celery, carrots, potatoes, onions, canned tomatoes and of course, the clams. I do my prep in a food processor. Chop the celery, onions, potatoes, and carrots, one at a time. Drain the clam juice into a measuring cup, and add enough water to make 5 cups. I usually double this recipe. I always serve this with a nice loaf of crusty bread. Enjoy!

This is a doubled recipe.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

3 slices of bacon, finely diced

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup chopped onion

3- 71/2 oz cans minced clams

1- 1 lb can of crushed tomatoes

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups finely diced carrots

1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine ( I save my left over wine for cooking)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

pepper to taste

Partially cook bacon. Add celery and onion and cook till tender but not brown. Drain clams, reserving juice. Add enough water to the juice to make 5 cups; add to bacon mixture. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and seasonings. Cover and simmer about 1 hour.
At this point you can add the wine. Simmer another 25-35 minutes. Add the clams and heat through.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.